BoxingSports

Rio 2016: Conlan fumes at controversial defeat

Furious boxer Michael Conlan vowed never to compete in the Olympic Games again after a controversial points defeat ended his hopes of claiming a medal at Rio 2016.

Irish bantamweight Conlan, a bronze medallist at London 2012, lost by unanimous decision to Russia’s Vladimir Nikitin on Tuesday, despite feeling he had done more than enough to win.

Conlan told the BBC: “I came for gold and I’ve been cheated.

“I’ll not do another Olympics. I would advise anybody not to compete for the AIBA [Amateur International Boxing Association].”

In an interview with Irish broadcaster RTE, Conlan was heavily critical of AIBA, alleging corruption within the body as he stated: “Amateur boxing stinks, from the core right to the top.”

The 24-year-old went on to send a tweet to the official account of Russian president Vladimir Putin, which read: “Hey Vlad @PutinRF_Eng How much did they charge you bro?? @AIBA_Boxing #Rio2016.”

An AIBA official was quoted by the Telegraph as describing Conlan’s allegations as “foundless”.

The official said: “Michael is a current world champion and he came here with high expectations. His disappointment is massive, we can all understand that. It’s his personal judgment.

“AIBA is striving for a fair, level-playing field. The idea is not to benefit one country towards another. These statements are foundless but he’s free to have his opinion.”

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